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PONG (continued)

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FALL

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13
From: Tom Devaney
To: Edwin Torres
Sent: September 10, 2000
Subject: HEY LET'S TALK. 718-855-4969.

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14
From: Edwin Torres
To: Tom Devaney
Sent: Monday, September 11, 2000 7:00 AM
Subject: Re: MUNCHA BUNCH-aaaaaaaaaaaaHHHH

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh how many lifetimes in a talk? used to wonder about time...as age descends, physicality of every moment takes shape. placed by hand, I look to mold time into my own dopplegang'd talk. assuming alter ego of time...would be...what? is the alter ego of a moment its own moment...inverted to assume shape? to live in the present, a sentient being in touch with mortality...say, maybe...me? how mortal is each moment when what lies ahead is mere time?

yeah, summer's come and almost gone. i've lost touch with most of my phone book. we moved in June and weren't able to have an actual phone in our home until last Thursday! something about asbestos in our basement preventing ATT from installing our phone box...? so, just now feeling at one with our new apartment.

look forward to resuming our vital pong game. will call tonite...

cheers,
Edwin

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15
From: Tom Devaney
To: Edwin Torres
Sent: Monday, September 11, 2000 12:04 PM
Subject: Re: MUNCHA BUNCH-aaaaaaaaaaaaHHHH

E,

That will be good, I'll be here. Talk to tonight.

With all the transition I've been through this summer

a hard break up, which continues to linger leaving Brooklyn

College, almost having to leave this apartment and having

my bank account go down to $50 with only some spotty checks

in the mail, I won't even be the same person in this conversation.

I worked/temped at Random House for the past three weeks,

and now I have off for the next two to write the seat of my pants off,

also some reviews for different people and places: publishers weekly,

and a review on a new bio on B. Franklin, which I'm working on my

own book of the old man.

fire, aim, ready, yours,

TD

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16
From: Edwin Torres
To: Tom Devaney
Sent: Monday, September 18, 2000 7:00 AM
Subject: just checking in

Tom

well...seems email is best communico at this point so...you have some free time now...to get real busy? good plan! sounds like summer was an upheaval for you...hope you can maintain level head in midst of it all...

I began 6-week workshop past Sat. at Walt Whitman Literary Center in Camden, NJ. Great building, good students...so far class is 7, will grow to 10...feels really great to be teaching again.

anthology reading (for "Heights Of Marvelous") at Brooklyn Heights Barnes & Noble Thursday nite was surreal...four of us reading--audience sat as shipping row mates in center--added to my feeling of incompetence since I know I read too long in comparison to other folkes...question:

shouldn't you want to give all you can within time-frame allowed (10-15 minutes) to give audience insight into your own particular world? if readers stop short at 8 minutes--I went to 15-20 minutes (I was 2nd reader, 3rd & 4th readers went to 8 minutes or so) made me feel like hog...but...why?

hmmm...well, questions of time allowed and given are constant quench for me...talk soon,

Edwin

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17
From: Tom Devaney
To: Edwin Torres
Sent: Monday, September 25, 2000 8:19 PM
Subject: A HOW TO ON HOW LONG TO READ

Edwin,

I don't know what is or isn't apart of our conversation anymore, but I just wanted to say I've appreciated your recent messages.

How long to read: Too much, Not enough? No doubt, there some written and unwritten rules, at least in enough peoples minds, Usually, someone just tells you 10, 15, 20. But, as you know, it's not always so clear, esp. w. yr. mut wagner total theater. Disorder, life, technology!

I got a reading for a friend at the Zinc Bar. He's a puppet guy,a painter, and a decent writer. It was his first reading in NYC or anywhere. He asked how long should he go for, I said, 20 minutes +. He went for 40+. Anyway, that pissed a lot of people off. Even people who liked it. They said, Who does this guy think he is? So it depends. I mean, I'm his friend and like his work and I even felt he went for too long. But, I thought it was great too.

I remember when you read at Double Happiness. You were already reading when I arrived and read for at least 30 minutes more-I loved the performance and knocking some nusiance into the Beatles's "norweign wood"-it was beautiful. So it's hard to glean a general rule from this- esp. someone like you, since your readings aren't readings. The problem with most readings is reading itself.

You have to have the music in your head, not your head in the music! Like our score-cardless pong. I mean you know your stuff cold so it allows you to bring in the multi-meida materials of language-in sound, words and other the fantastic arts. When anyone mixes their reading up even if it means just talking to the audience, if they're with you, you can do a lot. Like we've said, its the room, the way folks feel, the way we feel the folks.

Hey I'm not encouraging people to go on and on, just to have their shit together and make some great art and sometimes that means going longer, sometimes shorter-the matter's the matter. I read the other night at Kelly Writers House, (in Philadelphia) a group reading for another anothogy (Carnegie Mellon) it went well, but I didn't feel like reading for that long that night, (less than 10 mins.), but I was pleased, and for how I felt, it was right.

All this makes me think of the scene in your poem "28 Minutes Over Howl Mountain," which recounts a reading where you shared (as a younger poet) a bill with Ginsberg.

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[Ginsberg]
Looks at me
Holds up wristwatch
First words

YOU KNOW I WAS
TIMING YOU YOU WENT ON
FOR 28 MINUTES WE HAD 20 BOY
I TUNED OUT AFTER 20 I'M OVER HERE
THINKING BOY I HOPE EVERYONE
HANGS AROUND TALKING SO LONG BOY
HOPE HE DON'T BOOOOR NO ONE
WAS I THINKING

Says I thanks I'll be careful...

++++++

Is that enough? ride on mutha…
TD

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18
From: Tom Devaney
To: Edwin Torres
Sent: Monday, September 25, 2000 11:35 PM
Subject: Hello, A ?

E,

I have a question, last night, which is right now to me, (so there's less confusion later) I realized somehow a few entries in our conversation were gone or (missing) believe or not the one's I can't find are "The Mad Yak," and the one where I asked you that long ass question which is far as I'm concerned can stay lost and we can just keep talking. Anyway, if you have any other the above said, say it to your self, or say it overhere to me.

merci,
TD

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19
From: Edwin Torres
To: Tom Devaney
Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2000 2:53 PM
Subject: RE: A rattle not a riddle

Herewith and forsooth is a bulk of our fabulous pong! inclusioning that bold "Mad Yak" and holy yeah! that long-ASS question you mentioned...

Who has the longer ass...the questioner or the ASS-er?

And so, I will try and answer what you hath writ..spoinging on my facial misery...a half minute of seconds to share with youse...grooby chap that I am!